In Pursuit of a Circular Economy: Market-Leading Product and Service Innovation at DESSO

Carpet manufacturer DESSO has emerged as a leader in articulating and pursuing circular business models, one of only a handful of major companies to visibly act on such an ambition to date. Since 2008, the company has engaged in focused efforts to divert from linear thinking, in order to implement processes supporting carpet recycling and reuse.

It is also designing and sourcing next-generation materials according to Cradle to Cradle® standards, thus aiming to embrace a nascent but promising movement toward a broader circular economy.

Hoping to close its carpet tile loop by mimicking natural regeneration and using only recyclable materials, DESSO believes that resource restriction realities mean that material reuse is the most economically and environmentally reliable model for future corporate success.

What You Will Learn

• Why Desso has decided to reorient its corporate mindset to favor a circular material flow, in an currently dominated by linear thinking
• What specific design criteria the company prioritizes in its current approach to product innovation, what partners have been instrumental in the process, and what obstacles are currently seen as critical
• How the company is communicating its intentions and achievements around circular business models to date, and how it sees its position in the emerging circular economy movement in the future